Allkids Early Intervention reaching out to community for support

SYDNEY — A program that helps families with children with special needs is reaching out to the community for support.

Krista Kavanaugh (centre), an early interventionist for the Allkids Early Intervention program, enjoys some sandbox fun with, from left, Cohen McKinnon, 2, his brother Caiden, 3, Cohen Flemming, 2, and his sister Aedin, 4, during a recent playgroup session at the Town Daycare in Glace Bay.

Allkids Early Intervention serves Cape Breton and Victoria counties, with locations in Sydney, Glace Bay and Baddeck. The non-profit program recently launched a letter-writing campaign launched at families which have made use of its services in the past, local businesses and other agencies that it has worked with in an effort to raise funds to assist with rising operational costs.

“We do get funding from the Department of Community Services and we’re a member agency of the United Way, but just the cost of running our program has gone up in the last number of years, so things are certainly a lot tighter,” executive director Valerie Donovan noted. “This is the first time that we have gone out there and looked at needing some assistance from our community.”

Travel costs have risen and the program’s caseload has grown, she noted. They employ seven people.

Donovan said they are also hoping to raise some public awareness about what Allkids does. Early intervention involves providing specialized services to families of children from birth until they enter the school system who are developmentally delayed or are at risk of delay.

Interventionists provide information and support to families and make suggestions for developmental activities. The service is delivered primarily through home visits, but it also holds play groups, transition services and other activities. They also make referrals to other services, such as speech and hearing professionals.

Early intervention is an area many people may not be familiar with until they find themselves in a position where they need to make use of the service, Donovan noted.

“We’re trying to do a lot more public education, but most of our focus has been around delivering the service,” she said.

The fundraising letter includes a testimonial of a parent of a son with Down syndrome who began receiving services from Allkids at three weeks old. It noted that, with the assistance of the program, the boy went on to learn to sit, crawl, hold a bottle, walk and speak.

They also assist children diagnosed with conditions such as autism, cerebral palsy, and very small premature babies who are at risk of developmental delays, Donovan noted.

“Basically, if a child is delayed in two or more areas of development then they qualify for our service,” she said.

The community has been very supportive of the program in the past, Donovan noted.

Allkids Early Intervention has operated for three decades. A separate program serves families in Inverness and Richmond counties.